Which thinker argued that everything is made from four basic elements?

• A. Dalton
• B. Bacon
• C. Democritus
• D. Aristotle

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is that everything is made from four basic elements and that the properties of matter come from combinations of those elements. Aristotle argued this framework, building on the four elements earth, water, air, and fire. He linked each element to two qualities—hot versus cold and wet versus dry—so fire is hot and dry, air is hot and wet, water is cold and wet, and earth is cold and dry. By varying how much of each element is present, substances with different characteristics can form. This view guided explanations of change in the natural world for a long time before modern chemistry. While others like Democritus talked about indivisible atoms and Dalton later refined atomic theory, the four-elements model is specifically associated with Aristotle’s approach. So Aristotle is the thinker who argued that everything is made from four basic elements.